Boy howdy do I understand that. Yes they're both very dangerous but like all dangerous things there is a way to do it safely. There's a learning curve for sure but my next bit of unsolicited advice would be to remember your C's; composure, confidence, and cautiousness.
Composure means always try to be in a clear mindsight when hitching and hopping. That doesn't mean take an oath of sobriety or anything, just that if you're going to imbibe then maintaining a level head will keep you both safe and in a control of the situation.
Confidence comes next as you're going to be faced with a lot of split second decisions that could be something as simple as "does this driver look safe?" or as critical as "will it be safe to hop on this train?". In either scenario poor judgement can lead to being hurt so knowing how to make a concise decision is important.
Cautiousness relates back to both composure and confidence in that at the end of the day, your safety and health should always be your primary concern. Living on the road is far from a cake walk, even though it was something I did for the better part of a decade, it's still something I wouldn't recommend to anyone lightly.
Yeesh, this ended up being way more long winded than I intended. Might end making a whole separate thread about tips... Anywho, guess I just felt like being preachy today, haha.
